An ugly season for the Arizona Cardinals got much worse on Monday night.
Arizona lost 27-13 to the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. And the Cardinals lost quarterback Kyler Murray in the process to a knee injury that’s feared to be a torn ACL. After going 11-6 and making the playoffs in 2021, the Cardinals are now tied for the NFL’s fourth-worst record at 4-9. And with Murray’s injury and Colt McCoy taking over at quarterback for an already-bad team in a lost season, it’s fair to wonder if the Cardinals will win another game in 2022.
ESPN’s Joe Buck and Troy Aikman spoke with Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter with SVP after calling the game.
Aikman referred to the 2022 Cardinals as a “dumpster fire” and said that “a lot of really tough decisions have to be made” by the organization in the coming months (via Awful Announcing on Twitter).
"This has been a dumpster fire for the Arizona Cardinals… [there are] a lot of really tough decisions that have to be made." – Troy Aikman on SportsCenter with SVP pic.twitter.com/xHplbT8wIs
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 13, 2022
“The play on the field, and what we’ve all watched, hasn’t been very good. And then there’s the other element of what’s taken place off the field. You’ve got offensive line coaches who are being fired; another assistant coach was let go in the middle of the season. One distraction after another.
You certainly have had these injuries. But, even if Kyler were healthy, what is the offseason going to look like? And what is next year going to look like? This has been a dumpster fire for the Arizona Cardinals. Now with the franchise quarterback in question, as to his availability for next year, there’s a lot of decisions that have to be made, and a lot of really tough decisions that have to be made.”
This comes just a few weeks after Aikman called the Cardinals’ defensive effort “embarrassing” during a 38-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.
"This is embarrassing for the Arizona Cardinals … Antonio Hamilton doesn't come up after all the tackles he made last week and even *try* to make an attempt on George Kittle… They're a losing football team, and they're playing like one on that play."- Troy Aikman 🏈 #MNF pic.twitter.com/ahpDHvcPRv
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 22, 2022
Very few people would argue with Aikman’s comments on the Cardinals right now, and many NFL fans are calling for Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim to be fired.
If the Cardinals lose tonight and Kyler Murray is out for the year, I'm firing Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim before the next game.
Hard reset. It's the only way the Arizona Cardinals can pivot towards potential winning ways.
— Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) December 13, 2022
When it comes to Keim’s and Kingsbury’s job security, keep coming back to this: 1-11 record @StateFarmStdm last 12 games there
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) December 13, 2022
Fan apathy is going to be a serious issue if Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury return next season.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) December 13, 2022
A poorly-built roster, poorly coached. I've seen enough of this era of Cardinals football.
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) December 13, 2022
It will be a battle of “dumpster fire” teams in Week 15, when the Cardinals take on the 3-10 Denver Broncos.
[Photo Credit: ESPN]
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at Awful Announcing and The Comeback.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@awfulannouncing.com.